Judge who asked rape victim if she could have closed her legs deserves 3-month suspension, panel say

[TexasTowelie]

N.J. judge who asked rape victim if she could have closed her legs deserves 3-month suspension, panel says


A New Jersey judge who asked a rape victim if she could have closed her legs and questioned if she “knew how to stop somebody from having intercourse with you” should be suspended for three months, a Supreme Court advisory panel has recommended.

Superior Court Judge John Russo Jr.'s conduct toward the woman in that restraining order case demonstrated "an emotional immaturity wholly unbefitting the judicial office and incompatible with the decorum expected of every jurist,” the review panel wrote in its 45-page recommendation detailing four incidents of misconduct.

The nine-member review panel, however, was split on the length of the suspension. Five members recommended three months, while four recommended six months citing the “severity of this misconduct.” The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for July 9 to make a final ruling.

Russo, a family court judge assigned to Ocean County, has been on paid administrative leave since May 2017 before returning to work at in Burlington County civil court earlier this year. He earns a salary of $165,000.

Read more: https://www.nj.com/ocean/2019/04/nj-judge-who-asked-rape-victim-if-she-could-have-closed-her-legs-deserves-3-month-suspension-panel-says.html